Combined lunch box and portable table



Marc'h, 18 1924- INVENTOR CIHQDDbE, W nrronmir 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 c. I. HUDDLE COMBINED LUNCH 0x AND PORTABLE TABLE Flled Sept 21 19?2 WITNESSES March 18 1924. 1,487,569

. 9 c. 1. HUDDLE COMBINED LUNCH BOX AND PORTABLE TABLE Fi led Sept. 21, 1.922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES 2 INVENTOI? (Va L C. I lea/00b W W Uromwsrs Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

COLUMBUS I. I-IUDDLE, OF PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED LUNCH BOX AND PORTABLE TABLE.

Application filed Septemberi21, 1922.

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, COLUMBUS I. HUDDLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Porterville, in the county of Tulare and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Lunch Boxes and Portable Tables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined lunch box and portable table, and has for its object the provision of a device having knockdown characteristics, whereby the same may be easily disassembled and readily converted into a neat and compact unit for carrying food and cooking utensils, and which may be strapped to the running board or to any other convenient part of an automobile, or the device may be easily and quickly assembled and set up in position as a table.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a combined portable table and lunch box having leaves for the tableand a cover for the box cooperating to form a closure for an open end ofthe-box when the device has been disassembled and converted into a unit for storage, while cooperating to-form atop for the table when the device has been assembled as such.

A further object of the invention is'to provide removable legs for the table and supports for the leaves of such similar construction that the legs and supports are interchangeable.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration otthe following detailed description in view of the accompanyingdrawing forming partof this specification; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to -the disclosure, being susceptible of changes or modifications, but such changes or modifications shall mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the combined lunch box and table formed into a neat unit and strapped to the running board of an automobile,

Figure 2 is a viewin perspective of the cover which forms part of thetable top,

Figure 3 is an end view disclosing a detail ofthe fastening means for securing the lunch box to therunning board,

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the lunch box assembled to form a table with Serial No. 589,694.

the cover shown in Figure 2, removed to disclose the interior of the lunch box,

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of one of my improved detachable securingmeans for the leaves,

Figure 6 is a view in perspective of one of the rods adapted tobe interchangeably used as either a leg or a support for the leaves,

Figure 7 is a view' in perspective of the fastening means which is adapted to be secured to some fixed part of the automobile, such as the running board.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the running board I of an automobile to which are secured eye bolts '2. These eye bolts are spaced from each other a distance to engage opposite ends'of the lunch box 3 for preventing lateral or end movement of the box in a manner which will be presently described.

The lunch box comprises a rectangularly shaped member having a centrally located partition 4 with cleats 5 "secured to the inner faces of the end members 6 and 7 of the lunch box. top of the partition 4 are adapted to support a partition which divides the lunch box horizontally into two portions.

Upon the outer walls of the end members 6 and 7 are secured spaced cleats 8 and 9 with the cleat 8 secured adjacent the upper end of the end walls, andwith the cleat 9 secured to the lower end of said walls. The upper faces of the cleats 8 areon a level with the upper edges 10 of the end walls 6 and 7 "The leaves aresupported in their laterally extended position upon opposite sides of the'box or containerby means of horizontal rods 13 which are inserted through alined notches or perforations in the side walls of the container. These rods are'formed of gas pipe and are of a diameter Which will be sufficient to support the leaves 11 and 12 without adding too great a weight to the container.

In order to maintain the leaves 11 and 12 in position on the outwardly extended. portions of the rods 13, I have'provide'd angle iron hooks 14, which comprise a base member 15 which is normally located in a horizontal'position with a right angularly depending or vertical portion 16, having a socket 17 and'an opening 18 cut through the metal of the depending member 16 to These cleats with the provide a passage to the socket 17 for the rod 13. The horizontal portion of the hook is secured by means of bolts or screws to the leaves 12 and 18, with said portion being counter-sunk within the material of the leaves.

In order to apply the leaves 11 and 12, the inner edge of the leaf is located in a diagonal position over the opening in the lunch box until both hooks 15 are on the same side of the rods 13 with the openings to the sockets 17 adjacent the rods 13. When the leaf is moved back to its longitudinal position with respect to the box 8, and the depending portions 16 of the hooks are engaged with the inner wall of the side members of the box, the leaves are in the proper position to provide a table.

The cleats 9 have diagonally disposed passages through which are inserted the legs 13 which are of similar construction to the supports 13, and are interchangeable with said supports. The upper end of the legs are received in sockets shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 in the cleats 8. The in clination of the passages in the cleats 9 and the angularly disposed sockets in the cleats 8 provide for a spreading apart of the lower ends of the legs to form a more substantial support for the lunch boX and table.

A cover 19 which is of sufficient width to embrace the open end of the lunch box 3 is positioned over this opening and between the leaves 11 and 12 when the device has been set up as a table and with the cover providing a support for all the heated cooking utensils, and since this cover is made of metal, no injury would be done to the same by the heated cooking utensils, as would be the case where the cooking utensils are positioned on the leaves 11 and 12.

The lunch boxhas been described in its position when set up as a table. In order to disassemble the table and form it into a neat and compact unit adapted to be strapped to an automobile, the leaves 11 and 12 are moved inwardly toward each other until their inner ends are in abutting relation, whereby these leaves will form a closure for the open end of the lunch box after all cooking utensils and food have been replaced within the compartments in the lunch box. The rods 18 are then removed as are the legs 13. The rods and legs may be located within the lunch box and below the leaves 11 and 12. The cover 19 which is of sufiicient breadth to embrace the leaves 11 and 12 when they are in a position to form a closure for the open end of the lunch box is adapted to be secured by means of straps 20 and 20 Strap 20 is short and has an end secured to an eye 2 secured to the running board of the automobile, while the other end of the strap is provided with a buckle 23. Strap 20 is secured at one end to an eye 2 at the other end of the box, with the free end inserted through an opening 21 in cleat 8 and then through perforations in both ears 22 on opposite ends of the lid 19. The extreme end of said strap is secured to buckle 23 whereby said strap extending the length of the lid and in engagement with the same holds the lid in place.

As shown in Figures 8' and i a notch is formed in the cleats 9 to receive a portion of the eye 2 so that when the straps 20 have their ends secured together, and passing through the certain perforations in the cleats 8 and the ears 22, the lunch box will be maintained against lateral and endwise movement by reason of the fact that a portion of the eye engages the notches 2a in the cleats 9 to prevent such movement.

The container or lunch box 3 is adapted to be made of suflicient size to contain several days food with the necessary cooking utensils for preparing the food and serving the same. As shown in Figure 1, when the lunch box is strapped to the running board 1 with the cover 19 in position, it may provide a means for placing the foot when entering the rear seat of the automobile, since the cover 19 being made of metal not only affords a protection against the weather, but likewise provides a protection against injury to the leaves 11 and 12 of the lunch box.

I claim: a

1. A combined lunch box and table, comprising an open ended container, a plurality of removably mounted table leaves supported laterally and horizontally from a longitudinal side of the, container, rods mounted in the container with their opposite ends projecting laterally from the sides of the container for supporting the leaves in horizontal position, cleats secured to the opposite ends of the container and provided with diagonally disposed passages, legs of similar construction to the supports for'the table leaves adapted to be inserted within the diagonally disposed passages in the cleats for supporting the lunch box in an elevated position to form a table, said leaves adapted to be moved from their laterally extended position relative to the side ofthe container over the opening in the container to provide a closure for the same, a cover adapted to be located over the opening and between the inner side edges of the leaves and cooperating with the leaves to form the table top, said cover being adapted to embrace the leaves when said leaves are positioned as a closure for the container, and means for securing the container in position on a fixed part of an automobile.

2. A combined lunch box and table, comprising an open ended container, a pair of removably mounted table leaves adapted to be supported laterally and horizontally from a longitudinal side of the container, said leaves adapted to form a closure for the open end of the container when said container is used as a lunch box, a cover for the open end of the container and cooperating with the leaves when laterally supported to form a table top, means for supporting the leaves in a laterally extended position, and legs removably connected with the container for supporting the container and leaves in an elevated position, the cover being adapted to embrace the leaves when said leaves are positioned as a closure for the container.

3. A combined lunch box and table, comprising an open ended container, table leaves removably mounted on the container and extending laterally therefrom, means for supporting the leaves in lateral position, and removable legs for supporting the container and leaves in an elevated position, said legs and supporting means for the leaves being of such similar construction as to be interchangeable.

4:- A combined lunch box and table adapted to be secured to a fixed part of an automobile, comprising an open ended container, cleats secured to opposite ends of the container and provided with recesses, spaced eyes mounted on a fixed part of an automobile and adaptedto engage the recesses to prevent slippage of the box, cleats spaced from the first mentioned cleats secured to the opposite end of the box, and provided with slots, a cover for the open end of the container provided with slotted ears, with the slots in the ears alining with the slots in the cleats, and straps secured at one end to an eye, and passing through the alined slots in the ears and the second mentioned cleats, with the straps directed toward each other and in engagement with the cover, and means for securing the free ends of the straps together, whereby the box will be rigidly secured to a fixed part of the automobile.

5. In a combined lunch box and table, an i open ended container having end walls and side walls, leaves adapted to be supported horizontally and laterally from the side walls of the container, legs for supporting the container in an elevated position, means for supporting the leaves in a horizontal position, comprising rods inserted through notches or perforations in the side walls of the container, angle iron hooks secured to the inner side edges of the leaves having a depending portion provided with a slot adapted to receive the rods located transversely of the container.

COLUMBUS I. HUDDLE. 

